Seems like there has been more of these lately than the norm?

We need a subject matter expert. However, my understanding is that this is either a good sign or a very bad sign. The good sign is that many small earthquakes can reduce the chance of an immense earthquake. The very bad sign is that sometimes many small earthquakes are the prelude to an immense earthquake. My apologies. I can't find the particular video but there is an excellent documentary about California's San Andreas and Hayward faults. It showed how before the massive 1906 earthquake, there were a few decades where earthquake activity rapidly increased. After the 1906 earthquake, activity decreased dramatically. Ominously, the same pattern has been emerging during the past few decades. Check out some of the documentaries discussing The Ring of Fire.